In one of the blogs I read, someone posted a comment. The message only somewhat tied in with the topic and the back link was to an unrelated website.
I dislike the idea of giving the author’s rant any more exposure by repeating it, but once its invective nature is set aside, there is both truth and insight within. Here is the comment:
“The bible is a poorly edited anthology of 3rd Century literature. Calling it ‘God’s Word’ perpetuates the church’s fraud.”
poorly edited: Yes, the Bible is poorly edited. In fact, aside from what is necessary in the process of translation, the intent is that it is not edited at all. This is a good thing.
anthology: An anthology is a collection of literary works. With the Bible’s creation spanning a couple of millennia and written by about 40 authors, it is definitely an anthology.
third century: This is only somewhat correct and a great oversimplification. The components of the New Testament were being compiled in its present assemblage in the third century, even though that effort started a couple of centuries prior. The contents of the Old Testament were assembled much earlier. The actual writing of the various sections (called “books”) of the Bible, however, certainly predates the third century.
literature: The Bible is literature — great literature, in my opinion. Based on worldwide sales, it is the most popular literary work ever.
God’s Word: Yes, this is what many people call it.
perpetuates the church: the Bible is a resource that propels the church forward, though I believe that could happen even without the Bible.
fraud: the Bible acknowledges that its message will seem like foolishness and be offensive to those who don’t understand it, so the writer’s conclusion is consistent with what the Bible predicts.
My only hope is that the author who penned this comment will one day see fit to change the final word from “fraud” to “faith.”
A lifelong student of the Bible, Peter DeHaan, PhD, wrote the 1,000-page website ABibleADay.com to encourage people to explore the Bible. His main blog and many books urge Christians to push past the status quo and reconsider how they practice their faith in every area of their lives.
